The Thorns [Enhanced]

The Thorns | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 20, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B000094VMS
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (99 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #173,808 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars CA-style guitars and harmonies boosting some careers, May 20, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Thorns (Audio CD)

Place Matthew Sweet in any vocal harmony situation, and the results are always lovely, even if it's with himself. Here, however, with Pete Droge and Shawn Mullins there's no comparing the vocal harmonies with Crosby, Stills, Nash and (sometimes) Young, because they've alchemized the CSN(Y) sound perfectly on every single song.

All mid-tempo, laid-back, guitar-strumming ear candy with a slight shade of Traveling Wilburys (especially the opening track "Runaway Feeling").

Harmonies on "Such A Shame" recall The Beatles' "Because."

Personally, the surprise gem of the bunch is the cover of The Jayhawks' "Blue," a song that always gave me goosebumps and The Thorns' version continues to do so.

In sum, if you love and collect strumming guitar pop-rock containing three-part male harmonies, you would be remiss to not add this to your collection while it's at an introductory price.

As a postscript, I should say I'm approaching this as a Matthew Sweet fanatic, and would like to point to his other solo works and underappreciated contributions to Lloyd Cole's late 1980's solo albums. No doubt this Thorns CD will lead others to the respective solo works of Pete Droge and Shawn Mullins, which, looking at it all cynically, is kind of the point here.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Thorns - Superb Harmonies and Songwriting, June 13, 2003

By 

Natster "thenatster" (Shrewsbury, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Thorns (Audio CD)

This is my favorite CD of 2003 so far. This trio of singer/songwriters, Pete Droge, Shawn Mullins, and the brilliant popster, Matthew Sweet, might seem, at first, like an odd grouping, but they harmonize in the vein of CSN, America, and the Beach Boys. This is not to say that the album is a lightweight, throwaway, soft rock cheesefest. Standout songs are "No Blue Sky," "Long, Sweet Summer Night," "I Can't Remember," and "Blue," the cover of a classic Jayhawks tune, but really every song shines. PICK THIS UP!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A gem, August 14, 2003

By 

Cntrljerseyman (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Thorns (Audio CD)

The Thorns' debut CD is one of those recordings that finds its way into your player, and then (happily) just won't leave. I came to this CD mainly as a fan of Matthew Sweet, but I have always loved Shawn Mullins' voice, and Pete Droge's wit. And, this is a record where the parts add up to a lovely, mellifluous whole. In a perfect world, where rock radio played songs based on merit and on that certain something that great songs have, "Long Sweet Summer Night" would be a touchstone for the dog days of 2003. But, perhaps the song that works best one the record (although there a many candidates) is "I Told You". Rarely has a song mined the depths of heartbreak, unrequited love and longing as well as this achingly beautiful tune. All in all, "The Thorns" may not change your life, but it is a gem, and I can only hope that the band is planning a follow-up.